


Have The Courage To Trust The Sea

by FiresFromOurHearts



Series: Uncharted Waters [15]
Category: Naruto
Genre: AU of an AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Families of Choice, Gen, Pre-Canon, Root - Freeform, Team as Family, Uzushiogakure | Hidden Eddy Village
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:22:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29895573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiresFromOurHearts/pseuds/FiresFromOurHearts
Summary: In one world, Konoha's ambassador goes from Uzushio to Konoha and dies by the organisation she was part of - ROOT. In another world, Uragiru doesn't run but instead shows a seal on her tongue in a village full of seal masters. And so the world changes, just like that.
Relationships: Original Character & Original Character
Series: Uncharted Waters [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875832
Kudos: 27





	Have The Courage To Trust The Sea

It starts like this: Uragiru Tsune, Konoha’s ambassador, does not bow and run for Hi no Kuni’s shores, rushing towards Konoha in hopes to bring back an army to save Uzushio. Instead, _(thinking of danger and shadows and things that would not have happened without a little bit of manipulation)_ , Uragiru says not a word and shows her tongue to the Sandaime Uzukage and Uzushio’s ANBU Commander.

This is how the world changes, not with a butterfly flapping its wings and a hurricane forming, _(correlation does not equal causation)_ , but with a ninja showing her sealed tongue in a village full of seal masters.

The Sandaime Uzukage, Ayumu, is stuck working on the invasion and organising Uzushio’s forces and the evacuation. That is not to say she is useless, even without time and exhausted, Ayumu draws out the seal and bends over it with Toru at her side.

This is how they spend hours past midnight, together and possibly subsisting off caffeine, but attempting to figure out why their friend hasn’t returned to Konoha, has remained and refused to leave, _(they know better to push, know how to read body language, they understand even if they don’t quite know why)_.

In the end, it’s Toru who figures out the base of it—a slavery seal, something twisted and warped. It’s archaic and tattered, missing sections and a copied seal that’s clearly been linked to a master seal. They don’t have a master seal, _(and Toru knows it must be in Konoha, but he is not prepared to whisper about the corruption and darkness that they now know is festering in Konoha)_ , but they are _seal masters_.

Between the two of them, they finally manage to split the seal and figure out how to negate it, _(though it takes longer than they’d hoped)_. It’s almost four in the morning, when they do it, and Uragiru is asleep and so is much of Uzushio, but Toru and Ayumu, _(feeling more like genin teammates than they have in years)_ , hurry to the ambassador headquarters and wake up Uragiru from her sleep.

“We did it,” Ayumu says, eyes bright despite the clear lines of exhaustion and missed nights sleep on her face. “We just need a little bit of your blood and chakra and we can lay down a new seal and… change your current seal to make it do nothing. It’ll hurt but…”

“The seal will be gone,” Toru confirms. And, when Uragiru nods, Toru flicks his fingers at his ANBU teammates, who refuse to leave him be, and they set up a perimeter.

It takes minutes, though it feels like it takes longer, _(and he wonders whether Uragiru feels like it should take longer)_. “I-” Uragiru, for the first time since Toru has met her, stutters, choking on her words. She bows her head, shoulder shaking, and cries silently. “I’m free,” she says at last. “Thank you. _Thank you._ ”

“You’re one of ours,” Ayumu says, enveloping the ambassador in a warm hug. “And we look after our own.”

After a moment, Uragiru wipes her face and pulls back, before bowing low to the Sandaime Uzukage. “I have reason to believe that someone is undermining the current Hokage and perpetrating the war. They’re likely the reason Kirigakure is attacking as well—there was no reason for it to happen otherwise.”

Toru closes his eyes, for three long seconds, then opens them and nods. “Do we have any traitors in our midst?” He asks.

Uragiru lifts her head, stands upright, and gives a shrug. “I don’t know. We weren’t… We didn’t really talk.”

“Alright,” Toru says, breathing out through his nose. “Ayumu, I’m going to launch massive internal investigations in… everything pretty much. I’ll put trusted ANBU on it until we’re certain. Uragiru-san, do you know if everyone will have the same seal that you did?”

“They will,” Uragiru says, strangely certain. “It keeps us… loyal.”

_(Brainwashed, Toru knows, might be a better word. Enslaved, even more so.)_

“We’ll see if we can create a seal that can track your initial one,” Toru says. He glances at his Uzukage, who is nodding.

“Who can I trust?” Ayumu asks. “If- If this is deeper than just in Kirigakure, and we have reason to believe so, then- What do I do?”

“Remember that we’re in this together,” Toru says, then he turns to Uragiru. It’s almost the morning, they’re definitely going to be pulling another all-nighter, but it’s necessary. “Uragiru-san, can you prepare to give us a full report about… everything. Both what you know for sure and anything you believe might be related. Give us… an hour and then in the Uzukage Office.”

Uragiru nods. “As you command,” she says, voice still trembling with emotion almost perfectly hidden.

Meanwhile, Toru and Ayumu retreat back to the Uzukage Office, Toru leaving one teammate to guard Uragiru. “Toru,” Ayumu says, the moment they’re away from public eye and well hidden, “where do we go from here?”

It’s a good question and one Toru doesn’t really have an answer to. Uzushio had always felt safe, the people within it trustworthy, but now that’s all been turned on its head. However… there are still people they can trust, and they just need to get some investigations done. It’s not the end of the world, no matter how much it feels like this.

Toru breathes in, breathes out, and makes a plan. “We’ve got a number of ANBU we can trust,” he says at last, _(they wouldn’t have warned him if they were spies)_. “And we’ve got our Clan Heads, and your council. We’ve got sensei as well. The ANBU can deal with the internal investigations while we smooth everything else out.”

“We need someone in Konoha as well,” Ayumu says slowly and that’s—that’s the crux of it, isn’t it? It can’t be Uragiru as she’s not safe there, not alone at least. And they need someone important to go, likely Ayumu herself. Except, who will run the evacuations and the fighting in her stead?

“I need to go to Konoha,” Ayumu amends, seconds later, following Toru’s thoughts easily. “Toru… This will be on you then. Uzushio will be in your hands.”

_(Isn’t this how it’s always gone? It’s one of them, always, and they’re always working together.)_

He wants to refuse, wants to tell her to entrust Uzushio to someone else, but they might be surrounded by enemies and Toru is one of the best to keep Uzushio running, especially with his ANBU by his side.

All he can do, however, is bow his head in thanks. Ayumu pulls him into a hug, and they ignore their trembling limbs and fingers and hold onto each other. This might be the last moment of true peace that they’ll have, _(and they hold onto it desperately)_.

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware this is very short, but I didn't continue because I have fears that it would get very long. And, knowing me, that's a high possibility. 
> 
> Honestly, I started this and forgot that Ayumu was alive and then had to add her in quickly. It was a good laugh.
> 
> If you're wondering what happened, these are my notes:  
> > There would be chaos but, in the end, Uzushio likely wouldn't fall and the Sandaime would be forced to kill Danzo at the Uzukage's refusal to accept otherwise.  
> > They find a total of ten spies, three civilians and seven ninjas, including one ANBU.  
> > Ayumu doesn't die, but she comes close when Danzo sends ROOT to attack her whilst in Konoha after she warns the Sandaime  
> > Toru is very thankful to give back the Kage hat and then takes a week holiday with his team, who've been run ragged trying to keep Toru upright and awake and also keep Uzushio safe with an unknown amount of spies watching them.
> 
> If you want, you can find me over on [Tumblr](https://silent-silver-slip.tumblr.com/) with the tag for this series being The Sea Never Dies. You should also join us over on Discord where people keep making me write new AUs, the link is [here](https://discord.com/invite/DTbGtSc). We'd love to have you! Wishing you all a good day.


End file.
